In what ways was the Renaissance a significant break from the Middle Ages? Was the Renaissance a truly dramatic change, or were there significant continuities between the two periods (or both)?

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Virginia Lou Profile
Virginia Lou answered

Dear Nicole Nig,

A huge question...plus the difficulty of reconstructing history accurately...

  1. In case this might be for your homework, what I did was to locate an article for you from the New World Encyclopedia that does a fair job of examining the contingencies... http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Renaissance
  2. However, just for your own interest, I myself do believe the Italian Renaissance was truly a breakout time...and I think that because of Stendhal syndrome. Even today, when people go to Florence and immerse themselves in all that beautiful Renaissance art and science, some of them will have a little nervous breakdown. The example I picked for you is Botticelli's BIRTH OF VENUS, love born from the exquisite, iridescent seashell of the human heart. Most non-Christian art was destroyed...but take Da Vinci ADORATION OF THE MAGI, the baby Christ, the birth of love into the humble manger of the heart...all your repressions get burst loose when you are faced with so much of your own beauty all at once, and you go nuts for a little while.

Fortunately, you can just see a therapist for a few days and your nervous breakdown rights itself...but the fact that even today this happens so often,   I think it indicates something very special going on at that time in European history.

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nicole nlg
nicole nlg commented
Wow thank you so much for answering my question about the break in the middle ages- the renaissance times. In fact you were right it is for homework, I have a 1,300 word essay due on this topic of "In what ways was the Renaissance a significant break from the Middle Ages? Was the Renaissance a truly dramatic change, or were there significant continuities between the two periods (or both)?"

Do you happen to have any subject or a few main points that would be easy to write up on for my essay, thank you in advanced!!
Virginia Lou
Virginia Lou commented
Hi Nicole, just thinking if I have any main points to suggest to you...you know, depending on what your teacher wants, one thing you might mention is the fact that the transition may not be as dramatic as people used to think.

Truthfully, I think it is a really difficult question because of the tendency for history to be recorded inaccurately...and you might consider mentioning that.

The article I left a link for you is really kinda convoluted, but it does touch on such issues...you might consider just going through that and pulling out a few points - the topic is actually far too complex for a 1300 word essay!

Sorry i don't have more specific ideas for you, and good luck!

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